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Allan Hawco, the star of Republic of Doyle, says it was his decision, made with the input of his team, to pull the plug on the CBC show he co-created.

“We made the decision probably about halfway through season five,” said Hawco Thursday of the Newfoundland-shot series in which he stars as harried P.I. Jake Doyle. “It’s been a brilliant experience but season six will be the final season.”

Hawco’s departure leaves an even bigger hole for the creative minds at CBC to fill. The broadcaster has been beset by budget cuts and the loss of the Hockey Night in Canada franchise that has already led to a slew of cancellations, including stalwarts such as Arctic Air and The Ron James Show.

Heather Conway, executive vice president of English Language Services for the CBC, insisted in an interview that Republic of Doyle was not being cancelled, reiterating that it was a move initiated by Hawco and his team.

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“He told us about his decision a while back. We’re lucky we’re able to get another season from him, so we’re glad he’s still around,” said Conway.

The CBC, no stranger to budget cuts, has had an especially tough slog over the last few years under the Conservative government of Stephen Harper: The 2012 federal budget knocked $115 million in funding to the CBC over three years.

But the dispute with the sitting government looks like it has been brewing for longer. A 2010 letter released under the Access to Information Act has the broadcaster’s Tory-appointed chair accusing the government of being “wilfully destructive” and undermining CBC’s independence.

The Conservative Party’s public attacks on the CBC “disparaged the Crown corporation” and sought to “influence the content of programming,” said then-CBC chair Tim Casgrain in a letter obtained by The Canadian Press.

Casgrain made it a point to warn the party that MPs were “intruding” on the independence of the broadcaster.

Still, the budget-strained public broadcaster tried to convey the message to viewers that it remains in the game creatively. And the fall season, unveiled Thursday at CBC’s Front St. headquarters, does show promise.

There are 12 new primetime television titles headed to the screen, with an emphasis on comedy and serialized shows. Some of the highlights include:

The miniseries The Book of Negroes, based on the Giller-winning novel by Lawrence Hill. It features two Academy Award winners: Cuba Gooding Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr.

Strange Empire, a gothic western about a town where the men have disappeared. The serial takes the CBC in a darker direction and about as far away from Heartland as you can get.

Camp X, based on a Second World War Canadian camp that trained spies. It comes from the minds of show runners Stephanie Morgenstern and Mark Ellis, the people who last brought you Flashpoint.

Pirate’s Passage: Intriguingly, an animated film written, produced and starring Donald Sutherland and set in Nova Scotia.

Schitt’s Creek, co-created by Eugene Levy and Dan Levy and starring Catherine O’Hara, reunites the SCTV team in a character-driven single-camera comedy.

This is Conway’s first outing since she took over for Kristen Stewart earlier this year. So her stamp isn’t completely on the new programming. However, she seems to be taking creative chances, including green-lighting Strange Empire, which is one of the more promising-sounding series.

“I think you have to take a few risks. We have to do shows that engage Canadians,” said Conway. “I hope those creative risks will have paid off over the next few months and we will get Canadians talking about what’s next on the CBC.”

Conway has the most difficult job in Canadian television. Making creative choices, engendering more risk, but with less money and a smaller margin of error.

Not all the ideas introduced Thursday were new. Some of it is going back to the retread bin, including another round of Canada’s Smartest Person, a nine-part Sunday night series with hosts Jessi Cruikshank and Jeff Douglas.

Another factual series reads like an unimaginative reworking of The Rick Mercer Report: Of All Places features comedian Jonny Harris as he travels to small-town Canada to find humour.

Eschewing the Hollywood factory for filler, the CBC goes shopping in the Commonwealth to fill its international roster.

The lineup includes the BBC’s The Honourable Woman, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal in a story of Middle East intrigue, and the Australian series Secrets and Lies, about murder in suburbia.

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